Con-artist suspect nabbed after 7 years in hiding

Crime Suppression Division commander Pol Maj Gen Montree Theskhan held a head office press conference at 10am on Monday to announce the arrest of the alleged con artist, identified only as Raweeroj, 57.

Montree said Raweeroj was arrested at a hotel in Bangkok’s Wong Thong Lang district under a warrant issued by the South Bangkok Court on November 28, 2022.

The police commander said that in 2015 Raweeroj had allegedly duped the jewellery trader into giving him 22 million baht in exchange for a huge payback of 8.775 million US dollars (22 billion baht) from the United States.

He told the trader that he would invest the sum with the trader for use in his business, and they would share the profits. The deal hinged around the jewellery trader having to first give him 22 million baht as fees for moving the sum from the US to Thailand.

After the trader appeared to bite the hook, Montree allegedly forged a certificate of deposit from the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, New York branch, to show he had a deposit of 8.775 million US dollars.

He then used the forged deposit to convince the trader to transfer him 22 million baht before then disappearing, prompting the trader to file a complaint with the CSD.

Pol Col Manoon Kaewkam, commander of CSD Subdivision 1, said the suspect later fled to Angola, where he was arrested and jailed for trying to cash a forged cheque to obtain sufficient money to start a business in the African country.

After being released from jail, he returned to Thailand and sneaked into the country via a nature trail.

Manoon said the suspect allegedly continued to rip off Thais by convincing them to invest in a non-existent firm that would in turn invest in a high-speed train system that promised high yields.